L E A D I N G T H E WAY I N P R O J E C TS
Project
Assurance
Caravel group specialists in
maximising
project success
T H E
S P E C I A L I S T
F O R
L A R G E
C O M P L E X
M U L T I - D I S C I P L I N E D
P R O J E C T S
Project
Assurance
Maximising a project’s chance of success
It is a well-known fact that 70% of projects1 run over budget, over time or both. Caravel’s
consultative Project Assurance services support the traditional expectations of project success
through specially developed methodologies and the application of Caravel’s expertise.
These services are relevant throughout the project life cycle. They represent a valuable investment
that can be used to ensure effective project governance, provide a snapshot of performance or get
a troubled project back on track.
Caravel’s Project Assurance services include:
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Project Governance
Project Audits
Project Health Checks
Recovering Troubled Projects
Project Risk Assessments
Post-implementation Reviews
Mentoring and Training
Caravel will tailor these and other services to meet the specific needs of your organisation.
1. Standard Group International (PMnetwork April 2002, PMI)
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Project
Governance
High level structure affects project success
It is well documented that the vast majority of projects fail to deliver to the traditional
expectations of being on time and within budget.
Studies show 2 that half of the project failures are outside of the control of the project manager.
The responsibility in those cases rests firmly with the people involved in project governance.
This means that these failures can generally be traced to an inadequate project governance
structure or insufficient skills and experience within those people engaged in a governance role.
Effective governance delivers business value
Project Governance is the high-level project approval and control by those in authority above
the project management team, such as business owners, steering committees, CEOs or
Government Ministers. They ‘own’ the mandate to authorise the project and should defend
it against political interference.
Effective project governance leads to efficient communications between stakeholders,
management and the project manager. It ensures that issues and inherent conflicts of interest
are identified and addressed.
However, effective project governance also:
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prevents project failure
prevents increased project costs
promotes improved business benefits
avoids reduced career aspirations
2. Standard Group International (PMnetwork April 2002, PMI)
Distinguishing Project
Governance from
Project Management
Governance and oversight
are undertaken by those
with the authority to
approve projects and
resources.
Project management is
about the actual delivery
of projects. Strong Project
Governance is essential to
a project’s success as
high-level issues outside
of the control of the
project manager often
affect a project’s delivery
and performance.
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Timely review can prevent negative outcomes
To ensure high-level buy-in throughout the life cycle of a project, program or portfolio of
projects, project governance should be reviewed:
• before the start of a major project or programme of projects
• following any significant change, particularly ownership changes in the organisation
or in any of its suppliers or customers, or
• at any point throughout the project as initiated by the project manager or project sponsor
Project governance problems inevitably result in adverse project outcomes. Indicators of
such problems include:
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rapid and unexplained turnover of project managers or team members
projects constantly failing to meet traditional ‘on time and within budget’ targets
project team members working excessively long hours
project scope changes being accepted without a proper impact and approval process
The Caravel methodology
- tailored governance reviews cover all project domains
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Project
Audits
Looking into the past to understand the current status
At the beginning of a project, it is agreed that it should meet certain time, cost, quality or functionality
criteria. Nevertheless, a high percentage of projects fail to meet some or all of those criteria.
The Project Audit process is a valuable management tool and confirms whether or not the actual
project status equates with the reported project status. It considers the time period from the beginning
of the project to the present day.
Project audits can often identify where a project is going wrong, frequently before the symptoms
of failure appear. This represents an opportunity for early corrective action.
Reduced risk and peace of mind
Project audits should be an accepted process of all major and/or complex projects and should be
integrated within the overall project process. There are many benefits of effective project audits
to an organisation, including:
• reduced risk through the early identification and correction of problems
• confirmation of progress with certainty that the project is either going well or that issues
requiring remedial action have been identified
• stakeholders know that projects are well managed and on track
Thorough audits can lead to improved processes
Project audits are accepted as normal business practice – they represent an opportunity for improvement.
When undertaken professionally, recommended changes or suggestions for improvement are usually
directed at processes rather than people.
There are nine main subject areas typically
examined in a project audit. These are:
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integration
cost
communications
scope
quality
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risk
time
human resources
procurement
The five process areas examined during
an audit are generally:
1. initiating
2. planning
3. executing
4. controlling
5. close out
When reviewing the scope of a project, for example,
the audit is likely to examine:
• function specification
• progress reports
• project plan
• change control file
• test plan
• project evaluation audit
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The Caravel methodology
- independent audits reflect a true picture
Caravel’s consultants have the expertise and experience to undertake professional,
independent project audits and evaluations, free from political influences, assumptions
and preconceptions.
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Project
Health Checks
A glimpse into your project’s future
The Project Health Check is a natural extension of a project audit. It answers the question “how well is the
project progressing towards the achievement of its objectives?” at a future point in time, the scheduled end date.
The Project Health Check provides answers that are critical to project success through:
• an assessment of how well the project team is focussed on achieving project objectives
• a review of the project with key personnel
• a review of major project documentation
The service comes to the fore particularly when time is of the essence. The use of independent
professional advice gives management peace of mind that projects with an immovable delivery date will,
in fact, be delivered on schedule.
Timing is everything
If the Health Check is the only project assurance check, then it is best done about one third of the
way into a project phase. This ensures that enough time has elapsed for the management style
and processes to take effect, yet it is not too late to reap the benefits from the Health Check, and
implement any recommended changes.
Smaller projects that do not require the rigour of planned audits benefit from a random health check
as it is effective in uncovering and resolving issues before they become a real problem. One-off health
checks can be initiated at any stage to identify early warning signals and assure management of the
proposed action plan.
A snapshot of issues that need addressing
Once the Project Health Check is complete, Caravel’s report assesses current and forecast project
performances for areas such as cost, schedule, control and risk.
All the issues uncovered during the health check are documented and categorised as:
• fundamental – seriously affects outcomes
• important – needs to be addressed
• irritants – may be symptomatic of underlying dissatisfaction, but do not in themselves appear serious
The report identifies opportunities for improvement and makes recommendations based on its findings.
Independent advice when it matters
The Project Health Check is a very efficient and truly independent assessment, free from individual bias
or political agenda. It allows a very fast response to concerns over project progress and management,
well before the project is likely to run into trouble. It clearly indicates if a full project audit is required.
Stakeholders know that the project is well managed, or that issues have been identified and addressed.
The Caravel methodology
- high level of project expertise for Health Checks with depth and substance
Consultants who undertake Project Health Checks require a very high level of subject matter expertise
to assess whether a project will be completed on time and budget. Caravel uses a team of two
experienced consultants who adapt the Project Audit methodology to fit the individual Project Health
Check requirements – focused on the future rather than the past. The team will complete the Project
Health Check quickly and without impact on project progress.
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Recovering Troubled
Projects
Turning under-performing projects around
When projects run over schedule and/or over budget, organisations inevitably lose valuable
resources and waste time and money by persisting with under-performing projects.
There is a clear commercial benefit in identifying and, if appropriate, recovering projects once
they are declared as “troubled”.
Causes of troubled projects
There are numerous reasons that projects run into trouble, including:
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weak governance
insufficiently detailed scope or design (the complexity factor)
insufficient resources
project scope creep
poor or insufficient planning
ineffective communications
The way forward for troubled projects
If a troubled project proceeds then it is usually on the basis of re-planning, scope modification,
re-baselining and resource alignment. Such a blend will require that the cost/benefit analysis and
business case are revisited to ensure that the future benefits exceed costs.
First aid at the right time saves time and money
Project recovery should be initiated as soon as it is acknowledged that a project is in trouble often following a Project Audit or Project Health Check. Early identification and Recovery of
Troubled Projects will save an organisation time and money, whereas delays increase the impact
on costs and timing.
Recovery based on sound decision-making will improve commercial and organisational outcomes.
An understanding of the cause of a project’s divergence through root cause analysis is the only
basis for determining the most appropriate way forward.
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The Caravel methodology
- experience and knowledge helps projects back on track
With extensive experience in the management of large, complex projects, Caravel’s expertise
is invaluable when it comes to advice and assistance in the recovery of troubled projects.
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Project Risk Assessment
& Reviews
The importance of knowing and treating the risks
All projects carry some form of risk. The crux of the matter, however, is to have a good
understanding and acceptance of the risks involved and then taking action to treat and
lower the risk to an acceptable level.
Caravel’s Risk Review process offers increased project certainty through the systematic
identification and treatment of all the risks to the project.
A systematic approach accurately identifies and assesses risks
The process of identifying and assessing risks and their treatments is a core project
activity and a common way to approach the process is to divide all risks into a number
of categories. The process is often best undertaken in a workshop environment that is
supportive of lateral thinking.
It is important to consider, however, that perception of risk fundamentally resides at an
emotional level. For example, a person with a fear of heights does not objectively assess
the risk of falling.
Given the emotional dimension of the perception of risk , there is a need for a carefully
structured methodology to guide the project through the myriad of uncertainties and
evaluate each in a logical and rational manner.
Dealing with risks
Having identified and assessed risks for likelihood and severity of consequence, the final step
in the Risk Assessment and Review process is to develop treatment plans, focussing on risks
with high severity/likelihood.
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The Caravel methodology
- a holistic approach to risk review and integration into the project
Caravel’s experienced consultants take the client through the entire Risk Review process,
including the management or facilitation of risk identification, assessment and treatment.
To facilitate a seamless process, Caravel will also integrate the Risk Assessment and Review
with other project management processes. Caravel has developed its own unique ongoing risk
identification process complete with supporting tools that can be used regularly throughout
the project.
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Post-Implementation
Reviews
Making the most of successes and lessons
Following the completion of a project, it is prudent to identify successes and failures through
a post-implementation review. This means that actions can be formulated that will result in
improvements for future projects. Astute managers will use the results of a post-implementation
review to elicit lessons learned from projects and improve future performance.
However, reviews are not only used to highlight project shortcomings. When a project has gone
particularly well, a post-implementation review will help identify what aspects were executed
effectively and ensure the same process is repeated in future projects.
Post-implementation
reviews should be balanced
and focus on the processes
and outcomes rather than
individual performance.
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Ensuring benefits for future projects
When an organisation undertakes a post-implementation review, it reaps a number of
benefits, including:
• taking knowledge forward to future projects
• the ability to capitalise on lessons learned and prevent re-occurrence in future projects
• make future projects cost-effective through improved processes
The Caravel methodology
- maximises the learning experience
Caravel’s Post-Implementation Review methodologies are customised to a client’s particular
needs to ensure maximum benefits are derived from the process. Caravel’s project professionals
are able to secure the inherent knowledge within a project organisation and harness it for the
client’s ongoing benefit.
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Project Mentoring
& Training
The most effective way to improve performance
It is a reality of modern corporate life that from time to time enthusiastic, but less
experienced managers and subject matter experts are appointed to manage projects that
require a background of experience in project management they may not possess. To
compound the issue, they may not even realise that they are lacking the project management
skills or how to go about increasing their knowledge of project management. In particular
they may not have the luxury of time.
While project management methodologies, corporate rules and good governance can go some
way towards mitigating the risks associated with inexperience, one-on-one mentoring is often
far more effective at satisfying the needs of a particular circumstance, and bringing individual
project personnel up to speed. Ultimately, Caravel’s training and mentoring solution
effectively addresses the business risks associated with key appointments that do not have
the necessary skills, knowledge or experience.
Customised up-skilling without disruption
Mentoring focuses on the skill gaps of individuals. It provides detailed advice and feedback
and proves especially useful where an individual is given a critical task for which their
background and experience is less than ideal.
As a cost effective way of reducing risks and developing staff, Mentoring ensures effective
up-skilling without time investment from senior management or the interruption of a formal
training session.
While customised to fit the needs of the circumstance, Mentoring usually involves:
• working one-on-one with individuals
• identifying opportunities for improvement and facilitating improvements and solutions.
• providing examples of best practice techniques and assisting in the uptake of
such practices
• reviewing and providing assistance with key documents
Although Mentoring implies one-on-one training, there are efficiency gains if one mentor is
able to assist a number of team members as advice can be imparted as circumstances dictate.
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Enhancing the process through training
Training courses or workshops can be used to deliver the benefit of experience to a greater
number of individuals.
Active participation and involvement in a workshop significantly enhances the learning
process as participants are able to learn from each other as well as from the facilitator.
Lively and thought-provoking discussions are beneficial for the development of individuals
and help ensure that the learning is effective.
Improved learning and motivation with fewer risks
Mentoring and training has immediate benefits for an organisation and can result in:
• highly motivated and competent staff
• ability to use less experienced internal staff for larger projects - mentoring covers skill gaps
and reduces risk
• accelerated learning for key internal staff
• reduced risks by using the knowledge learned from past experiences
The Caravel methodology
- identifying and delivering an optimised mentoring and training solution
Caravel’s approach is based on a customised training and mentoring solution. It improves
project certainty by dealing with the risks of project personnel that do not have all the skills
or knowledge required of their position and role.
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L E A D I N G T H E WAY I N P R O J E C TS
Caravel’s range of project services
As a leader in projects, Caravel offers a range of specialised
consultative and implementation services that span the entire
life cycle of a project from inception, through implementation
to final hand-over. Caravel adds value at every point along
the way through project management services for:
Strategic Management of Projects
Core services include:
• Multi-project Management
• Organisational Resource Management
• Value Management
• Project Feasibility Studies
• Critical Chain Modelling
• Organisational Project Management Maturity Assessment
Project Assurance
Core services include:
• Project Governance
• Project Audits
• Project Health Checks
• Project Performance Management
• Recovering Troubled Projects
• Project Risk Assessments
• Post-implementation Review
• Mentoring and Training
Project Planning and Execution
Change Implementation
Business Process Innovation
Business Partnering
Enterprise Management Solutions
Operational Management Centres
Core services include:
• Customer Contact Centres
• Service Management Centres
• Operational Control Centres
• Mission Critical Moves
Safety Critical Projects
Dealing Rooms
Bid and Tender Management
Project Management Office (PMO)
Security Management Projects
Caravel can tailor a range of industry-specific services
to suit the exact needs of your organisation.
Please refer to our website for your nearest
Caravel office: www.caravelgroup.com